i have an old scanner CCFL tube without an invertor and would like to make one for it. the problem is that i'm on a $0 budget and must find all i need laying around. i know how to make an invertor with a center-tapped transformer but i don't know how to identify a center-tapped transformer. i did find a simple one with just 4 pins that i know how to hook up and stuff. so now the problem is i need to find a way to get AC current from a DC source. i've tried thinking of various ways to do that but can't quite come up with a schematic that looks like it'll work. one of them involves an oscillator. the lowest frequency oscillator i can find is 3.4mhz. would a transformer operate at such a high frequency? and does anybody have a shematic for an invertor that uses a simple non-center tapped transformer? i googled but couldn't find what i'm looking for.
Maybe something like this would work for converting to a higher voltage. If you do not have a 555 IC timer, you can utilize transistors. As for running a CCFL, I thought they needed a certain frequency range to work -- 35 - 75 Khz? Generally speaking, the higher the frequency, the smaller you can make your transformer due to increased efficiency for a given application. The frequency that your transformer will work at will depend on how it is winded and the material it is made up of. Here you go
I know you said $0 budget, but these things can be had for pretty cheap... Odds are that you won't find a coil or transformer of the proper specs unless you wind your own.
I hate to say it, but it would be cheaper and easier to get another old scanenr with a working invertor, you might then be able to put higher power transistors on it and power both ccfls.
well i got an invertor for it and that works but i still have the CCFL tube from a little LCD screen (replaced w/ LEDs for efficiency) and need to make an invertor for it becasue it's invertor is built into the LCD's PCB and i'm not gonna screw that up. i found this simple invertor and figured that the current goes constantly into the middle pin on the transformer and the 2 grounds on the outsides alternate on/off so i fiddled around with it to make it work with a non-center tapped transformer and came up with this. would that work? would i need to replace R3 and R4 with half the resistance?
